This invention pertains to a carton with self positioning interlocking corners and more specifically to a carton with interlocking corners for central air conditioning condensers.
Many cartons containing products are stacked on top of each other when the cartons are stored in warehouses. In the particular case of air conditioner condensers, these products are commonly stacked ten (10) units high. This stacking is accomplished by means of lift trucks which include a pair of clamping panels whereby several of the air conditioner condenser cartons may be grasped and clamped between the clamping panels of the lift truck and then lifted to be stacked. This process imposes lateral pressure on the cartons in which the air conditioner condensers are contained. It is of course desired that the cartons not be crushed or deformed during this stacking process. Accordingly, the cartons must have substantial strength to prevent this from happening. While the sides of the carton may have a substantial amount of "give", the top and bottom of the cartons must be relatively strong to prevent their buckling and deformation. Prior art cartons have not been satisfactory in this regard and it is therefore desired to provide a carton which is economical to manufacture yet is strong enough to withstand the clamping pressures generated by lift trucks during the stacking process.
Cartons must serve the essential function of protecting the products contained in the cartons from damage and from contamination by dust and the like. Many products, such as air conditioner condensers, have irregular shapes and may have one or more corners which are rounded and which therefore do not conform very easily to a standard rectangular carton. In the prior art, it has been common practice to provide filler material for the corners of containers, which filler material may consist of styrofoam fillers or fillers which are manufactured from folded cardboard. Such fillers add additional cost to the packaging of a product and are therefore undesirable. It is therefore desired to provide a container wherein the corners of the carton may be shaped to provide a good fit for the product contained in the carton.
In the packaging of certain products, such as air conditioner condensers, it may not be desirable to have a carton with both top and bottom panels. For instance, the function of an air conditioner condenser carton is primarily to protect the product from dust as well as damage. For that purpose, it is not necessary to provide a carton with a bottom panel. The carton must serve primarily as a dust cover which, however, must have sufficient strength to prevent its being crushed during the stacking process, as described above, and furthermore must provide adequate protection for the product. For that reason, it is desired to provide a half slotted carton, i.e. a carton which does not have a bottom, which has sufficient strength to withstand the clamping forces placed on the carton during the loading process and which effectively protects the product contained therein.